Don't Go Possessing My Heart
by cabbageoriley
Summary: Werewolves aren't the only shape-shifters out there, and Stiles really shouldn't walk around in the woods alone at night. Possession, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, I don't speak Japanese, Kitsune, Something a little different than what I've written before
1. Chapter 1

{Prologue

Stiles bends down to get a closer look at the strange substance swirling in the leaves in front of him. It moves and wisps up like smoke, but has the consistency of water. It looks grey at first but pulsates into a pale blue. His eyes become locked on it, and he finds himself reaching out to it. He tries desperately to pull back, but he can't; it's beginning to control him. He tries to call for help, but he can't. The smoky liquid coils up and feels cold against his fingertips. 'Nothing like this was in the bestiary,' Stiles thinks just before his mind goes blank and his eyes burn gold.

{Chapter 1

Mr. Stilinski comes into the living room and sees Stiles lying on the couch.

"You okay?" he asks, and his son looks up at him with a slightly confused but mostly blank look on his face.

"No." He clears his throat and sits up a little. "I mean, yeah, I'm fine."

That was a strange answer. The Sheriff, ever a detective, goes over to his son and places his hand on his forehead. "Stiles, you're freezing. Go get some warmer clothes out of your room."

"My room?"

"Yes, the room upstairs that has your bed and personal belongings in it… Is something wrong? Did you hit your head? Did someone try to beat you up again? Are you on drugs?"

"I'm fine. Nothing is wrong. I'm just cold and tired." He turns and begins walking up the stairs. Halfway up he pauses and turns around. "Dad?"

Mr. Stilinski looks up at him. "Yeah?"

"Just checking." Stiles turns back and finishes making his way up to his room. The Sheriff sighs, hoping his son hasn't completely lost his mind.

Once in his room, Stiles closes the door and locks it. "Stop it… Stop what?" He clamps his hand over his mouth and sinks down to the floor. He breathes deeply and tries not to have a panic attack. Something is happening. Something…

He gets back up and staggers over to his desk. He can't hold himself up for long and kneels down. His lungs are burning, and he feels like he is inhaling smoke. He gasps for air as he dials his boyfriend's number.

"Derek," he chokes out.

"I can't talk right now."

"No, please don't hang up." Stiles is desperate. This is bad. Something is seriously wrong. He wheezes between coughs. Can't Derek hear that something is wrong?

"Stiles, I'm busy. Call somebody else and bother them." Derek hangs up on him.

"No, Der…" All he can hear is his phone beeping, signaling the other person has ended the call. After all the times he has saved the pack, the one time he needs help, Derek cuts him off. He clenches his teeth in anger and squeezes the cell phone so tight the cheap plastic cracks and breaks apart. The change is instant. His body is no longer weak or cold. A piece of the phone's screen scratches against the palm of his hand and makes it bleed. His golden eyes look at the red fluid, and the corners of his mouth turn up in a sinister grin.

"Thanks for the chat, Derek. I feel better now." He picks up something off the floor with his bloody hand and places it around his neck. Stiles gracefully prances down the stairs and heads toward the door. As he turns the last corner, he runs straight into his father.

He looks his son up and down and notices that he hasn't changed his clothes, but his whole demeanor and way he carries himself has transformed. "Stiles, something is going on with you. I think we should get to the doctor." He reaches out to touch Stiles' shoulder, but the boy moves back.

Cocking his head to the side like a curious dog, he moves until he can make direct eye contact with his dad. He lets his eyes glow a furious shade of yellow and speaks with a low, hypnotizing, sing-song voice. "Stiles is fine, upstairs doing his homework like a good little boy. Go to work. He will be fine by himself."

Without a word, Mr. Stilinski turns around and leaves the house. Stiles chuckles and makes a comment to no one in particular about how easy it is to control 'stupid humans.' On his way out of the house he pauses in the kitchen. His mouth begins to water as he opens the refrigerator. There are just some left-overs, but food is food. Repaying Derek for his earlier kindness can wait until lunch is finished.

When Derek pulls up in his driveway, he can see Stiles lounging on the porch. One leg hangs off the front step, and he is staring at the awning. He looks around because something is missing.

"Where's your Jeep?" Derek asks as he walks toward his burnt out shell of a house.

"I couldn't get it to start." Stiles laughs.

"Your Jeep is a piece of junk."

"Tell me about it." He turns his head and smiles at his boyfriend. As he sits up, his expression changes. "Speaking of pieces of junk… Why'd you hang up on me?"

"Sorry about that." He sits down next to Stiles. "I was working on some things with Peter."

"You should have taken time to hear what I had to say."

"What did you need?"

"It doesn't matter now." He smiles mischievously. "I was just being… clingy… I guess." He continues to grin.

"What are you grinning about?" Derek tentatively smiles, a little put off by the way Stiles is acting.

"Wanna have sex?" Stiles asks as he rests his chin on Derek's shoulder and looks at him with large, playful eyes.

Derek chokes on his breath and laughs nervously. He pulls away. "Stiles, not until you're eighteen. We made a deal."

"Oh come on, big guy…" Stiles takes Derek's face in his hand and turns it so they are looking at each other. His eyes burn with color. "… you know you want to."

Derek forcefully collapses onto the bed. Stiles climbs on top of him and begins to rip the man's shirt off. The buttons pop off and clatter to the floor. Derek takes his boyfriend's face in his hands and pulls him closer.

They kiss forcefully and continuously for quite some time. Derek finally pulls away to gasp in air. He feels a little weak, and his body is tingling. Something feels off, but all he can think of is the fact that Stiles is beginning to unbutton his pants.

The boy leans down to kiss him one last time before they go on to other things. As their lips meet, Derek feels even weaker, like the life is being sucked out of him. He pulls away.

"What's wrong?" Stiles says as he rises up and sits on Derek's legs.

"I don't feel so good." Derek swallows, hoping he doesn't pass out.

Stiles gives him a pat on the cheek that is more like a slap. "Rest, then." He curls his lip up into a snarly smile. "I'll see you later."

Derek drops his head back on the bed as he tries to breathe. He can see Stiles slink out of the room. He soon drifts into unconsciousness. It takes a few minutes, but, when he comes to, he feels normal. He thinks it must have just been a dream, but, if he would have been conscious, he would have been able to see Stiles smiling to himself while walking back home through the blustery woods.

That evening Stiles goes out to eat with Scott and Allison. When Scott first called to invite him to go along, Stiles had acted like he had no idea who Scott was. He shrugged it off though, because Stiles is always acting weird like that.

The trio heads out to a local sushi bar. Allison loves sushi and has eaten it many times before. She orders a sampler platter for them. Scott has never tried any of it nor has he ever wanted to try it. So, when it comes out, and he sees it, he decides to order something American off of the kid's menu.

Stiles, on the other hand, digs right in. He tries some of each item- caterpillar rolls, fried calamari, fresh clams and oysters, steamed mussels, miso soup with tofu, steamed rice, tuna rolls, and tobiko sushi with quail egg. He tries it all, but one of his favorites is the deep fried tofu. The server says it is the house specialty- the restaurant is named after it actually. All of the little pouches of them are gone in five minutes, so they order some more. He ends up eating all of them, too.

"I didn't think you would like it so much. It's kind of an acquired taste." Allison playfully hits his arm.

"It was good." Stiles states flatly.

"No it wasn't." Scott looks green.

"You didn't even try it. How would you know if it was good or not?" Allison giggles as she links her arm with her boyfriend's. Stiles rolls his eyes at how they act together. It's disgusting.

The burnt and crumbling clock at the Hale house strikes nine o'clock when Derek enters. It startles him to find Stiles standing there in what used to be the family room. He should have been able to hear him before he got there.

"What are you doing here?" questions Derek.

"I like your house." Stiles twirls around a figurine that remains on the mantle even after all these years. "There's something about it…"

"I used to like it, too." Derek lowers his head.

"I'm sorry about this afternoon." He apologizes as he steps toward Derek.

"This afternoon…" Derek tries to think. He was hoping that strange feeling he had earlier had just been a dream or something.

"You weren't feeling well, and I left. I should have made sure that you were okay." Stiles moves closer to him.

Derek backs up against the couch. "I was fine."

"Good," Stiles says as he leans into Derek, kissing him. Derek sinks back, and they roll over the arm of the couch and land on the cushions.

Derek's heart speeds up. Usually Stiles isn't this forceful, but Derek likes the change. That is, he likes the change until they are kissing, and he gets that same weak feeling. He tries to push Stiles away, but he's being too forceful. It is like he is being drained of energy, but he has to admit the kissing is still good.

As Stiles wildly has his way with his boyfriend, his fingernails dig into Derek's flesh and scratch across his chest. Derek jerks and pushes Stiles away from him.

"Ouch." Derek looks at him with furrowed brows. "What are you doing?"

Stiles quirks his head as he sits there. He has a maniacal look in his eyes. "Having fun." He rolls his body back down and licks the oozing blood away.

Derek can't breathe, and not in a good way. He's about to pass out. "Stop!"

Derek opens his eyes and is alone in the room. He looks around from his spot on the couch and tries to figure out what is happening. Wasn't Stiles just here? He feels like he's going crazy. Two hallucinations in one day?

He breathes deeply to try to calm his heart rate. As he tries to stand up, he realizes he is still weak. When he looks down he sees that the wife beater he is wearing has claw marks ripped through the chest.

As soon as he has enough strength to walk, he goes outside. There is a thick fog clinging to the forest floor. Derek runs to Scott's house as fast as he can force himself to go. When he gets there he pounds on the door. Scott opens the door and stares at him.

"What's wrong?!"

"There's something going on. We have to find Stiles." Derek pants after speaking. He's never felt so tired.

"Find Stiles? What are you talking about? He's right here." As Scott points out, Stiles is right there in the McCall living room.

"Hey man, what's up?" Stiles happily asks.

Derek growls and stalks toward Stiles. "When did he get here?"

"He's been with me all day," Scott says as he holds Derek back.

"Yeah, you said you didn't feel well, so I left your place and went to eat with Scott and Allison. We came back and have been playing video games ever since."

Derek leans against the wall as his legs give out. He sinks to the floor and covers his face with his hands. He knew the stress in his life would get to him one day. This is it; it's happening. He's losing his mind.

"Dude," Stiles starts, "it looks like you've seen a ghost."

Scott bends down to him. "What's wrong?" When he doesn't answer, he turns to Stiles. "I think we should get him to Deaton's."

"Naw, he'll be fine." Stiles moves his head and widens his eyes in a stare. "It was just a nightmare. He's okay now." He turns to Derek. "You're okay now, aren't you? Go home."

Derek stands up and walks out the door without a word. Scott is still standing motionless, looking at Stiles. Stiles turns his attention back to his friend.

"Earth to Scott. Dude, why are you staring at me?" He gives him a cheesy grin. Scott blinks and furrows his brows. He shakes his head, and both of them go back to their video games.

They spend the rest of the night playing games and snacking on the food they brought home from the restaurant. He leaves near midnight and goes home. No one sees him the next day, but they don't really think anything of it. He's probably doing something with his father on his day off.

The next day, though, he is back at Scott's house playing video games. He lies on the floor of Scott's room while the teen goes on and on about how wonderful Allison is.

"Hey, what's this?" Scott asks as he pulls a metallic disc on a chain from around Stiles' neck.

"Give that back!" Stiles sounds vicious. He jumps up from the floor and corners his friend against the wall.

"Whoa, calm down. What is it?"

"It's mine." The wind howls outside, and Scott turns his head to look out the window. Stiles snatches the chain back and storms from the house.

"Oh, come on, Stiles!" Scott goes outside but his best friend is nowhere to be seen.

Later that afternoon, Stiles and Derek are together again. Derek has been pushed onto the bed by his boyfriend and is now watching as he walks toward him. It's a seductive little walk, and Derek is glad he can enjoy it. He has been feeling better lately; less weak and less breathless. He is having a good time until he sees Stiles walk past a mirror. Derek's heart races. The reflection flickers like it is being affected by a strobe light. It flashes between Stiles, a short dog-like creature, and the form of a woman.

Stiles must see Derek's change because he turns to look in the mirror. He cocks his head as he looks back at Derek. His features take on an evil appearance, or at least Derek thinks they do. Stiles continues to stalk over, and he climbs on top of him.

"See something?" The boy questions.

"What are you?" Derek asks as he tries to back away.

A mischievous giggle flows from Stiles' mouth. "Wait and see."

Before Derek can grab him, he is gone. Or, was he ever there? Something is going on, Derek can feel it now. Something is evil. Something is **wrong**.


	2. Chapter 2

{Chapter 2

Derek races to Scott's house once again. He pounds on the door until Scott opens it.

"What?!" Scott huffs. "What's wrong, Derek?"

"Where's Stiles?"

"At his house doing homework. Why?"

"It's summer, Scott."

"What?"

"Why is he at home doing homework? It's July." Derek pushes his way in the door. "Something's wrong. It's been wrong for a while now, but I… I don't know why I didn't see it. Stiles isn't Stiles. There's something wrong."

Scott seems to think for a minute. "I believe you. He got really mad at me this afternoon. I thought he was going to punch me. Then he stormed out of the house. I followed him, but I got outside and he was…"

"Gone?"

Scott swallows hard and shakes his head. Derek pulls out his phone and calls a meeting.

Everyone meets at Scott's house after Mrs. McCall goes in to work. Derek tries to explain everything that has been happening.

"And, he's been hanging around my house a lot lately."

"You're dating, so…" Jackson waves his hand signaling he needs a little more proof.

"I'm telling you, there's something wrong with him. We were in the bedroom, and he walked past a mirror. The reflection wasn't his." Lydia cringes as she thinks of a similar experience. "It flashed between him, and animal, and a woman."

"A woman?" Jackson groans again.

"I'm serious. And every time we… do things… I feel weak. It's like he's draining me some way."

Lydia speaks up. "Like a succubus?"

"What's that?" Scott asks.

"A demon that seduces men and drains them by having sex." Lydia explains. "Where's your laptop?"

"So, you believe me?" Derek seems hopeful.

"Maybe."

Allison walks closer to her best friend. "There's nothing like that in the bestiary."

"Who said I was looking in the bestiary? Where would Stiles look?" Lydia pulls up Wikipedia and types in 'succubus'. She clicks through quite a few links before she finds anything. They wouldn't have found anything then either, but Allison points something out.

"Wait." She points to a small picture at the bottom of the screen. "I've seen that image before."

Lydia enlarges the picture. It's a line drawing of a fox holding a plate of food. "What is it?"

"It's the logo of that sushi house we went to. Inuri or something like that."

"Inari." Lydia reads after clicking on the picture. "The Japanese god of fertility, rice, and foxes." She reads a little further. "Inari's foxes, or kitsune, are messengers of the Shinto god." Clicking on the 'kitsune' hyperlink changes everything.

"Kitsune is the Japanese word for fox. Japanese folklore tells of them being intelligent beings that possess supernatural abilities. They are yokai- supernatural entities. Kitsune can be translated as 'fox spirit'. The most common ability is that of assuming human form. Stories speak of kitsune using this gift to trick others. There are two types of kitsune. Inari foxes are good. Nogitsune are malicious. Most often kitsune use their shape shifting ability to take on human form, but some stories speak of kitsunetsuki- the state of being possessed by a fox."

At that, Allison stops reading aloud. She can't seem to form the words. She feels stupid for having goose-bumps, but she soon realizes that the rest of the group has them, too. Lydia picks up where she left off.

"Kitsune can easily possess humans if they are skillful enough to do so. They can manifest themselves in the dreams of others and create illusions. It is common for them to drive their victims into madness. Many kitsune are similar to vampires or succubi and feed on the spirit of their victims through sexual contact."

The whole group gulps. This is sounding too much like what Derek and Scott have described. Lydia continues. "The fox enters its victim through the fingernails. The kitsune proceeds to gnaw at the will of her chosen vessel until it gives in and she is able to take full control. Victims eat the foods foxes traditionally eat- fish, rice, tofu, and aburaage (deep fried tofu used in inarizushi)."

Allison gasps. Everyone turns to look at her. "Me, Scott, and Stiles went to eat at a sushi restaurant. We tried the sampler platter and Stiles fell in love with these little deep fried tofu balls. He ate more than a dozen of them." Her eyes are wide with panic.

"So," Jackson states, "he's being possessed by a Japanese fox?" He clearly doesn't believe any of it.

"How do we help him?" Derek says, ignoring him.

"We have to exorcise the fox," Lydia states. After searching the deep depths of the Internet, she finds a do it yourself guide to fox exorcism. It seems simple enough.

"How do we catch him?"

"We have to take him by surprise," Lydia continues. "Kitsune can be recognized while in human form or while possessing a human by their fear of dogs. At the sight of a dog, the kitsune will immediately squeal as a fox does and flee from the area."

"A werewolf is close enough to a dog, right?" Allison hopes.

"He's been around both me and Scott. He'd already know that we were wolves. All of those articles say that the fox spirit is smart; they know everything." Derek growls in frustration.

"Only if they're old. Their wisdom increases with age. This one has to be young. We wouldn't realize that something was wrong if it was old and powerful. All we have to do is find him. I can say the chant thing, and everything will be okay."

Stiles is sitting on the window ledge when they enter the burnt-out room. He quickly stands. "Hey guys, what's…?" His greeting is cut short by Derek slamming him against the wall. "Hello to you, too."

"What's your name?" Derek growls.

"Is there something wrong with him?" he asks his friends. "Derek, it's me, Stiles."

"No, we know what you are. You're not Stiles." Derek pins him by the neck.

"Derek, you're scaring me."

He only pushes harder. "What's your name?"

"Ouch, Derek, you're hurting me. Guys, a little help here." Derek's grip continues to tighten. Stiles tries to pry his hand from around his neck. "I can't breathe. Derek, stop!" His eyes water, and his face is red.

Just when the whole room begins to think they were wrong about this whole mess, Derek decides to turn. As he takes his werewolf form, Stiles lets out a sharp, high pitched yelp. The betas immediately change. Stiles starts to fight to get out of Derek's grip. His eyes completely turn a burning gold color, and he bares his teeth at him. Startled, Derek eases back just enough for him to escape.

The pack chases him out into the woods. They follow him as he winds through the trees. It's hard to keep up, especially as the wind picks up and a fog settles around them. As Stiles darts past Jackson, the beta lunges and tackles him. The medallion hanging around Stiles' neck flies off at the impact.

Stiles hisses at him and tries to fight, but can't hurt him. He sees Derek pick up the disk. "No!"

Derek tosses it to Scott. "Jackson, let him up." Jackson warily gets up. The wind picks up again as Derek throws Stiles against a tree.

Stiles smiles sinisterly. "Okami otoko, hai? Hajimemashite… Ototo."

"So I can understand you," Derek growls. He is furious. How dare this creature take over Stiles' body? Nothing would feel better than tearing it to shreds.

"Down boy." The voice is totally different from Stiles'; deep, evil, and with a Japanese accent. "I said 'Werewolf, yes? Nice to meet you… little brother.'" He laughs as Derek's claws dig into his neck. "Anata wa watashi o kizutsukeru koto wa dekimasen, waaurufu." He cackles when Derek roars in anger and frustration. "No need to get vicious."

"Where's Stiles?!"

Stiles' eyes flit over to the pendant hanging in Scott's hand. "He's hanging around here somewhere."

"You need to leave him alone." Derek grits out.

"Aww, but he's the perfect host. Not all that welcoming at first, but…"

Derek presses him harder to the tree, and Stiles bares his teeth in an animalistic way. "What's your name?"

"Guess."

"How would I ever guess it correctly?"

"It's not that hard. It lives in your memory every day, filling your lungs, choking you." When Derek doesn't answer, he continues. "That was a hint, you know? Imbecile."

Derek roars and squeezes Stiles' throat tighter. "What's the Japanese word for smoke?"

Lydia tries to think if she has seen the word before. Pulling out her cell phone, she realizes she has no reception. She runs as fast as she can to find a signal.

"Why are you possessing him?" Scott asks.

"Possession is always fun."

"Not for the victim," Allison retorts.

"Why did you choose to bind to me?" Derek questions. "Why try to suck the life out of me?"

"You made me mad. You made us both mad." The spirit possessing Stiles throws his voice to make it sound like Derek's. "'I can't talk right now.'" The voice is gruff and annoyed. He changes his voice to Stiles'. "'No, please don't hang up.'," it pleads. The whole pack can hear the fear and panic seeping through. Derek cringes as the voice mimics his again. "'Stiles, I'm busy. Call somebody else and bother them.'"

Stunned, Derek releases him. Stiles' eyes are glaring at him evilly.

"He was begging for help. So scared… Completely and utterly alone… You could have saved him, Derek. All you had to do was listen. Hear him out… He needed you." His voice changes from one of gleeful mockery to one of pure disgust. "He. Needed. You. Derek! But, you couldn't be bothered. You wouldn't even listen to him for thirty seconds." He smiles like the Cheshire cat. "He was heartbroken," he says as he chuckles. "That was it. In that moment, I took over. It's all your fault, Derek. It's all your fault. And, now, I'll never give him back."

Finally, Lydia runs back to them. "Kemuri!"

Stiles jerks his head around to glare at Lydia. He slides past Derek and gracefully slinks to her. He walks around her, letting his arm linger on her shoulders. "I like you. You're smart, like me. You would have been a good fit, too."

"Maybe next time." She holds her ground and refuses to show her fear.

"Yes… Is that an invitation?" He cocks his head and tries to make eye contact with her.

"Get away from her!" Jackson yells.

Stiles turns his attention to him. "I don't like you," he says as he walks closer. "Though, there's something about you…" He squints his eyes like a psychic trying to 'read' a paying customer. "Matt. I would have liked Matt. He and I would have gotten along nicely." As he says the last word, he draws it out slow so he makes a hissing sound like a snake. Jackson pounces on him, knocking him to the ground. He scratches his nails across his face.

"Jackson, stop!" Derek yells as he runs to pull him off of Stiles. "He's just trying to provoke you. You can't hurt him, only Stiles."

Stiles sits up and wipes the blood from his face. He tries to stand, but the force of being tackled to the ground has injured his body.

Derek turns to Lydia with a pleading look in his eyes. "Lydia, are you ready?"


	3. Chapter 3

{Chapter 3

No, Lydia is definitely not ready, but she has to try. "Yeah, I think so."

The pack pins Stiles to the ground, even though he isn't really trying to run away. His eyes aren't focusing correctly, and he seems disoriented. Lydia stands over him and begins to recite the words and mimic the motions mentioned in the Internet articles.

He struggles to get free, but the words Lydia speaks are weakening him. The wind picks up, but no one dares to take their attention away from their friend. Stiles writhes on the ground as if the words are physically hurting him. Whimpers and yelps are escaping his throat, and there are tears in his eyes. He continues to writhe and struggle, but he can't get away. Scott places the pendant around Stiles' neck. Lydia takes a deep breath and finishes the last lines of the exorcism. As she finishes, Stiles goes still.

"What now?" asks Scott. The whole pack looks to her for guidance.

"I don't know." Lydia admits. Then, she sees it. She drops the paper and takes a step back. Everyone looks to see what she is staring at.

They all jerk back from Stiles' body. In the dark, foggy woods, they can see a glowing fox rise out of his chest. They can tell its coat is honey brown, but its form glows blue and appears to be made of swirling smoke. It looks like it is made from calligraphy.

The fox blinks its glowing eyes at them and prances off into the woods. After they see it disappear, they turn their attention back to Stiles. He still isn't moving.

"What do we do?" Allison asks as she wipes more of the blood from his face.

"Let's get him to Deaton." Derek picks him up, and they rush him to the vet as fast as they can.

Deaton doesn't even seem surprised when the pack tells him what has happened. He motions for Derek to lay Stiles down on the cold metal table and begins to rummage through his cabinets. He pulls out a small bundle of sage and a bowl of cold water. Half of the sage is set on fire and is placed above Stiles' head. He uses the other half to brush the water over Stiles' body.

No one else knows what to do so they just stand there and watch as Deaton works his magic. When he finishes, he leans over Stiles' face and says his name. His voice is stern and commanding.

"Stiles."

The boy groans, and it is the best sound anyone has ever heard. Deaton stops him when he tries to move.

"Whoa, don't move, just rest. Can you look at me?" Stiles slowly opens his eyes. "Are you okay?"

His voice is weak and scratchy from not being used for so long. "Yeah."

Deaton turns to the group and gives them their instructions. "Take him to the hospital. He has a concussion, and he needs stitches. I'm sure you'll think of some cover story."

Derek nods and goes over to pick up Stiles. When he reaches out to him, Stiles flinches away. "Stiles, it's okay."

"Derek?" Tears come to his eyes as he realizes who he is looking at. Before Deaton can stop him, Stiles is up and clinging to Derek. He wraps his arms around Derek as tight as he can and buries his face in his neck.

He can feel the warm tears seep into his shirt, but he doesn't say anything. It is just so amazing to have Stiles back. He holds him tight and walks out to the car.

Stiles is only in the hospital overnight, so Derek goes to visit him at home the next day.

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired." Stiles looks up at him with weary eyes. Derek sits beside him on the bed, and Stiles wraps around him. He lays his head on Derek's chest and breathes deeply. "What happened?"

"You got yourself possessed by a Japanese fox spirit."

Stiles chuckles. "Only me."

"Only you." Derek rubs his hand over Stiles' head. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"The woods. My flashlight went out. I saw… I don't know… I just remember the woods and then waking up at Deaton's. I don't really even remember that, just bits and pieces."

"Well, you're safe now, and I'm not letting anything happen to you ever again." Derek feels guilty about this whole thing. If he had just listened…

"I can take care of myself…" Stiles yawns. "But, you can act like you're protecting me if you want to." His words are mumbled as he drifts off to sleep. "I don't mind…"

Stiles never remembers the events of the days he was possessed, but that doesn't stop him from being scared for the next few weeks. He is jumpy when he has to go into the woods at night. He hates when a fox is shown on TV or in a book, and he clamps his hands over his ears any time anyone speaks Japanese. Just walking buy a Japanese restaurant or sushi shop makes him sick to his stomach, and being around campfire smoke is out of the question.

If one good thing did come from the horrible experience, it is that no one takes him for granted anymore. They realize how close they were to losing him, and they make sure nothing will take him away from them ever again. Stiles doesn't remember any of the horror associated with the possession, so he counts the experience as a win. Who knew a demon fox could change his life for the better?


End file.
